PP rejects PSOE’s proposal of a European Youth Guarantee because it would “increase public spending”

At the Plenary Session of the Spanish Congress on 11 September, the People’s Party (PP) rejected the “Proposal Not of Law” of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) on a strategy to tackle youth unemployment in Spain and Europe. The proposal, supported by all parliamentary groups except the PP, was rejected by the Conservative government under the pretext that it was not the moment to "bring initiatives that increase public spending".

This ‘austerity-only’ approach has shattered the possibility of establishing a European Youth Guarantee that would have ensured that every young person is offered a work-focused training four months after becoming unemployed.

Juan Moscoso del Prado, Socialist spokesperson for the EU Commission and rapporteur of the “Proposal Not of Law”, stated that;

“Since the PP is in power, the young people are the most neglected victims of Spanish politics, there is no youth employment policy, and citizens have less funding for training, education, innovation and research. In short, absolute absence of implementing policies for growth and employment”.

The Socialist proposal also included the immediate formation of a European Alliance on Training and Employment that would have fostered youth exchange between Member States, increasing accessibility to employment, as well as the stability and quality of the jobs.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Spain is the country where most young people neither work nor study: 23.7 percent of Spaniards between 15 and 29 years.

The PSOE will keep working with trade unions and other civil society representatives to increase support for the youth guarantee among other major initiatives to create employment.

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The Party of European Socialists (PES), Young European Socialists (YES) and PES Women are running the campaign "Your future is my future" and calling for a European Youth Guarantee to tackle youth unemployment.

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